Two Exeter School junior pupils in uniform laughing together with their arms around each other outside the school building.

Junior Reflections Week 5 October 2025

Dear parents,

We have reached the penultimate week before we break up for half term, and it really feels that autumn has arrived. I would like to thank you for ensuring that items of clothing are named; we are currently seeing a rather large amount of lost property and when items are named, they have a higher chance of being reunited with their owners.

Assemblies

I had the delight of spending the morning over at pre-prep on Tuesday, where I led an assembly about harvest festival and I was joined by my rather naughty friend Jim (aka puppet). A lot of hilarity followed where Jim taught the pupils how to behave and the importance of consent. It is such a tonic to visit all the little people; I could write a book with some of the things that they come up with, and it certainly brightens my day. Our assemblies this week in the junior school focused on age-appropriate online usage for the lower school, and Rules of Law for the upper school. Assemblies are integral to our school day; an opportunity for pupil engagement, messages to be delivered and if pre-prep was anything to go by, a lot of laughter.

This week’s house lunches and assemblies were a great success, offering a fantastic opportunity for the children to get to know each other a little better across year groups. During the assemblies, each house began sharing ideas for creative designs for their unique house shields. This is an exciting time as the houses have the opportunity to decide what symbol they would like to represent them. These will eventually be printed and displayed in the junior school. If your child is continuing to work on their design at home, all instructions are available on Teams. We are looking forward to seeing what the pupils come up with.

Scholarships

A quick reminder that scholarship applications are now open for pupils currently in Upper Two (Year 6), Fourth Form (Year 8) and Upper Fifth (Year 11), with deadlines approaching soon. Please see the school website where you can watch our video presentation or contact admissions@exeterschool.org.uk for further details.

Coming up

The final week before half term is nearly upon us and in true Exeter Junior School style, we don’t slow down, with a taster day for pre-prep, an ‘experience afternoon’ in the senior school for the Upper Two and their parents, comets club visiting the Van Gogh exhibition (I sensibly volunteered to drive the minibus for this one) and some IAPS girls hockey to name but a few.

Have a restful weekend and I look forward to seeing you next week.

Mrs Saskia van Schalkwyk

Playground person of the week

George H U2T

Junior School News

Junior Sport News

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Today marks the end of the school year for many schools, and we would like to wish all students, staff and families a wonderful summer break.

To those moving on to exciting new adventures - whether that's a new school, college, university or the next chapter in your journey - we wish you every success and happiness.

Have a fantastic summer, and good luck to all this year's leavers! 🌞📚

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Our Upper One pupils recently enjoyed a visit to @pomstitchtassel, where they practised their sewing skills and created these fantastic strawberry cushions! 🍓🧵

It was a wonderful opportunity to learn a new skill, build confidence, and get creative.

We are considering offering a sewing club as an extracurricular activity at school and would love to hear your thoughts.

Would your child be interested in taking part? Let us know in the comments below!

#ExeterSchool #UpperOnePupils #Sewing #GetCreative #IndependentSchools #Devon #Confidence #Friends

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A look back at our Lower Sixth kayaking trip to Truro! 🚣‍♀️⛺️

What a fantastic weekend of adventure, teamwork, and the great outdoors! From paddling on the water to camping under the stars, our Lower Sixth students embraced every challenge, built lasting friendships, and created memories to remember. 

#ExeterSchool #IndependentSchool #Devon #Cornwall #Truro #LowerSixth #Kayaking #Camping #BeachLife #Social 

🎵 Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

Rule The World by ricky retro, Scorz, https://t.lickd.co/l/1708owq9zrb

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15A vs Ivybridge - 9 October 2025

Hockey 1st XI vs Blundell's - 9 Oct 2025

Rugby vs Sherborne and TBGS - 8 October 2025

Scholars' Concert and Cream Tea 2025

Exonian Quiz - 3 Oct 2025

Lower Two residential 2025

U6 Biology trip to Nettlecombe 2025